In the final event of an eventful sports year for the Virginia Cavaliers, the Hoos headed to their first ever Orange Bowl against the SEC’s Florida Gators, #9 in the nation. Though they played the Gators tough, they fell 36-28.
Florida needed just 40 seconds to score the game’s opening TD on a 61 yard LaMical Perine run. The Gators came in with the 119th ranked rushing offense, so this was a bad early sign. This was a theme of the first half, as the Gators totaled 175 yards rushing in the half.